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Post by Fawn on May 21, 2017 8:38:29 GMT -5
 70 Moons. Senior Warrior. Tom. NightClan.- First, No Sequel Frustration was etched into the senior warrior's face like a bolt of lightning across a dark sky. Cats gave him a wide berth; they didn't even dare utter condolences, or well-wishes for Ghostlight - knowing full well that he would shove those words right back down their throats. Ghostlight didn't need well wishes; she just needed time.
He would wait for her to recover, and all would be well.
"Let's go, Darkpaw!" Blackwolf's voice thundered into the apprentices' den, not giving a rat's left ear about who else he woke up apart from his own student. They had a lot of hunting to do and not a lot of time to do it; they'd be assigned to a patrol before too long, trying to make up for the lack of available warriors and apprentices while greencough ran its course.
Hollowcry and Echobreeze were keeping Ghostlight company in the pineneedle clearing. He still remembered that terrible, nightmarish march to the quarantine zone; Ghostlight had coughed, weak and wheezing, as he all but carried her there. The rest of the cats had been nudged along by loved ones and medicine cats, practically half-dead already. The weight of Ghostlight had wrought havoc on his hip the next morning; the soreness had been so severe, he'd had real trouble getting out of his nest that morning.
That almost scared him more than losing his mate. Being useless was not an option. He was getting up there in moons, he wasn't an idiot. But to be forced to retire early, because of a stupid accident Oakblaze had caused? They might as well just kill him now than let him suffer through that kind of embarrassment. Blackwolf was determined to keep working. He had an apprentice to think about, though he hardly took others' feelings into consideration when he made a decision.
Still. If Hollowcry and Echobreeze died, he felt responsible for Darkpaw's well-being. They'd been friends since apprenticeship; he owed his old friend at least that much. Pelt rippling in the moonlight, Blackwolf made the now difficult trek up the incline to the cavern entrance, stretching out his legs once he reached the surface to ensure his mobility was still good. It was going to be a pain in the tail if his leg locked up while they were hunting.
If there was one thing to be grateful for, though, it was the weather. He wasn't ready to start complaining about the rain or snow like some dusty old elder. Not yet.
Do the Math, No Equal
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Word Count: 419 Words
Tags: @zen
Notes: |
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Post by Deleted on May 21, 2017 19:21:19 GMT -5
I need attention, feed my addiction.
I want the action, satisfaction...
Darkpaw had not been sleeping well. Worry for her parents and her brother made her restless. So when Blackwolf's voice boomed into the apprentice's den, she jolted awake at once, raising her head and looking around briefly before she registered that her mentor had called her. Most cats would be tired after sleeping fitfully for nights on end, but Darkpaw channeled her worry into determined energy. Her mother and father would be fine. She would hunt for them, make sure they had plenty to eat, and Shadowpaw was looking after them. She just had to help them keep up their strength with plenty of prey. Which brought her back to Blackwolf's call.
Jumping to her paws, she shook herself quickly to try to remove most of the moss clinging to her fur, not bothering to stop for a proper grooming before bounding after her mentor. She may or may not have stepped on some cat's tail on the way out, but she didn't care to stop and apologize for it. If you didn't want your tail getting stepped on then you shouldn't sleep with it stretched out across half the stupid den. She skidded to a halt beside the black tom, casting a glance in the direction of the pine needle clearing. Her tail lashed once in frustration, wishing she could sink her claws into this sickness like she would anything else that threatened her family.
She hated feeling so useless to help them. She could not help her mother and father fight this enemy, they were on their own. Well, they had Smokefur and Shadowpaw, and their herbs, which provided some reinforcement, she supposed... but it wasn't the same. She hated it. A flash of fury burned through her and she turned her fiery orange gaze to her mentor, wanting, needing to be doing SOMETHING right now. “What are we doing?” her voice was an impatient growl as she flexed her claws, her whole body tense with anticipation, for the moment Blackwolf gave his direction she was ready to pounce.
I like to thrill you, I am what inspires.
Let you explode in a cosmic fire. Fawn
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Post by Fawn on May 21, 2017 19:31:08 GMT -5
70 Moons. Senior Warrior. Tom. NightClan.- First, No Sequel "Hunting," Blackwolf replied tersely, matching the antsy growl of his apprentice with a gruff command. "We're catching birds. They feed more cats than one frog. Keep your steps light, and try not to scare anything away."
Darkpaw was about as calm and collected as a porcupine with a toothache; she looked ready to stab anything that looked at her funny. Blackwolf scoffed in the back of his throat; her and me both. It was a bad day to be a bird; Blackwolf wasn't keen on the idea of jumping and landing to catch prey, so he would force Darkpaw to do most of the work.
He would flush them, she would bring them down. Provided she didn't get over-enthusiastic and rip the stupid things to crow-food.
"Where do you go if you want to find crows, Darkpaw?" Blackwolf quizzed her suddenly, leading the way into the dense pineneedle forest. Newleaf had been kind to their territory - the previously bare, naked trees had regained their foliage and then some. Blackwolf paused, letting his senses adapt to the sights, smells and sounds flooding over mentor and apprentice.
As he had done a thousand times before, he pinpointed some bird-calls. A sleepy, mournful loon. The thunder of a woodpecker at work, and the irritating cackle of crows.
Do the Math, No Equal
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Word Count: 207 Words
Tags: @zen
Notes: |
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 13:27:13 GMT -5
I need attention, feed my addiction.
I want the action, satisfaction...
Hunting. Good. She nearly charged off as soon as the word had dropped from Blackwolf's jaws, but then he continued and she dug her claws into the earth as if it was the only thing keeping her still. Birds? Her tail flicked. Well, she would have to be a little more careful than she would if they were hunting frogs then. She followed after Blackwolf as he started moving again, keeping close to his side and alert for signs of prey. Her ears twitched back against her head as he tossed a question at her. She didn't want to answer dumb questions, that didn't prey in front of her parents. Her fiery gaze narrowed in annoyance at such trivialities, but for once she didn't care to argue with her mentor either. That would be even less productive than answering the question and getting on with it.
“Birds are common around the branch trail,” she answered simply. Was that where they were heading? “I'll try to leave a bird or two for you,” the hint of a smirk tugged at her mouth before she took off, wanting to avoid anymore pointless questions, heading that way whether Blackwolf was coming or not. Ever since his accident her mentor had slowed down considerably, so she was sure she could have something caught before he arrived. Despite her speed, she was careful to keep as quiet as she could as she wove through the pine forest, and slowed once she neared the branch trail, more aware of her steps.
She cast her gaze up into the dark branches, crouching low as she moved forward. There were birds flitting around in the branches above, but too high. She paused at the base of a tree, scanning the ground for signs of foraging birds. Above, a flurry of wings and shrieking erupted as a crow got too close to a nest and several sparrows banded together to chase the bigger bird away. She watched the smaller birds darting around the would be egg thief as it winged around branches, trying to lose its attackers.
Ears perking with an idea, Darkpaw climbed up her tree to the lowest branch as quickly as quietly as she could, crouching as inconspicuously at the crook of branch and trunk as she could manage, claws digging into the bark as the crow continued swerving around branches, drawing closer, and then winging backward again. Come on... come THIS way, stupid crow.... Her fiery gaze was locked on the night black bird. A crow would feed Hollowcry, Echobreeze, and Shadowpaw easily, with plenty left over even! Her muscles tensed in anticipation, but it would really be luck if the crow flew close enough for her to reach it, so it was a bit of a long shot. And she'd have to be fast.
A couple sparrows dropped back, apparently satisfied that the crow had learned its lesson, but a few kept up the chase. The crow was heading her way, though a bit higher than she'd like. Well, she'd come this far. She rose up suddenly, claws still dug into the bark, arching her back and spitting as the crow drew nearer. The sparrows immediately abandoned their chase, flying off in all different directions while the crow seemed to stall in the air as it attempted to fly backwards, startled by her sudden appearance. Now or never.
She took the chance and leaped, her claws dragging through oily black feathers and meeting flesh, pulling the bird down as she fell toward the ground. She tore a clump of feathers from its wings, and then her claws slid through air as there was nothing more to grip and she spun in the air, eyes narrowed for impact with the ground. She stretched out her back legs first, her paws touching the earth, the pine needles covering the ground cushioning the impact as her forepaws hit as well. A jolt went through her body, but she was already looking to the falling crow, its damaged wings preventing it from escaping to the sky. She leaped again, dragging it the rest of the way to the ground and ending its life quickly.
Her heart was racing. Darkpaw normally thought of hunting as a boring but necessary task, but THAT had been fun!
I like to thrill you, I am what inspires.
Let you explode in a cosmic fire. Fawn
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Post by Fawn on May 22, 2017 17:46:31 GMT -5
70 Moons. Senior Warrior. Tom. NightClan.- First, No Sequel Darkpaw was going to do whatever the Dark Forest she set her mind to. It made her a pain in his tail in more ways than one - but it also made her interesting to watch. It was refreshing not to deal with the usual empty-headed kitten that couldn't tell his dung from his dinner. Darkpaw's answer was good enough, so he let her get ahead of him, the black-furred tom taking his time so as not to interrupt her hunting.
Overlapping the irritating crow-calls were the frantic chittering of sparrows. Blackwolf's bicolored gaze narrowed into blue and gold slits, cautiously watching the sky for it source; he heard Darkpaw climbing a tree - probably to get a better look.
When his attention finally landed back on her, however, Blackwolf was left hissing in surprise. Why does she look like she's going to--
Because she was.
A heckled crow, chased from a sparrow's nest, flew within leaping distance of Darkpaw. Blackwolf's jaws dropped as she flung herself into the air, snagging the crow by the wings in a violent downward plummet. Expecting a sickening crunch, he'd pinned his ears back for no reason - her landing looked painful but not crippling.
If anything, she'd gotten the crow.
But she was also getting an earful. Blackwolf stalked forward, tail lashing in a violent black whip behind him. "Do you have maggots for brains? If you'd landed wrong, you'd be dead or broken beyond a medicine cat's ability to fix you. Unless you want to join me in the elders den, don't hunt like that again."
Blackwolf hissed under his breath, recalling with cold clarity the crack of Palefire's bone as the tom, then an apprentice, had been knocked out of a tree by Starlingcry. Two cats involved, it was an accident or an attack.
One cat, all by themselves, deliberately throwing themselves into the air, was stupidity.
Still... She'd have a good story to tell her sisters when she returned. Blackwolf allowed himself a few prickling sensations of pride when he looked at her, and then quickly threw them aside like old bedding. "Between you and all that noise, this area's no good. Keep moving. And try not to break your neck between here and the next hunting spot."
Do the Math, No Equal
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Word Count: 380 Words
Tags: @zen
Notes: |
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2017 23:07:57 GMT -5
I need attention, feed my addiction.
I want the action, satisfaction...
Standing triumphantly over her catch, Darkpaw whipped around at the sound of her mentor's voice. Her ears flicked back against her skull only briefly at his admonishment, she was far too pleased with herself to let his words do more than glance off of her like a poorly aimed blow. She flicked her tail dismissively, grinning, “You worry too much you old gray muzzle. I'm not as fragile as you are.” She picked up her crow and moved over to the base of a tree to bury it so they could come back for it later, using it as an excuse to move farther away from Blackwolf before he decided to aim a blow at her without it seeming too obvious so she could perhaps avoid a comment from him about her running away.
She snorted as he told her move on, apparently still shaken by the thought of her getting hurt, "Oh please, the only way I'd hurt myself from that short of a fall is if Oakblaze was around," she gave her mentor a pointed stare, her orange eyes sparkling with amusement at the personal barb. Most every cat in NightClan was aware of Oakblaze's notoriously bad luck and how it seemed to affect the unfortunate cats he went on patrol with. “It's nice to know you worry about me, though,” she purred and, finished burying her crow, turned to find somewhere new to hunt where the prey hadn't already been alerted to the danger of her presence.
Now that the excitement was over, she was aware that it had been a little foolish, but only because it had been too loud and scared away the rest of the prey in the area, not because she thought she had been in any real danger. The lowest branches of the branch trail were hardly a fall at all, any cat could make the drop safely enough, except maybe the youngest kits and oldest elders. She supposed she could have been hurt in some minor way but Blackwolf was being a little dramatic telling her she could have died or broken something beyond repair. Did he think she was made of flower petals or something?
I like to thrill you, I am what inspires.
Let you explode in a cosmic fire. Fawn
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Post by Fawn on May 24, 2017 11:10:46 GMT -5
70 Moons. Senior Warrior. Tom. NightClan.- First, No Sequel Blackwolf threw a look of venom at the back of Darkpaw's head - and put some extra speed in his step so as to keep up with the sharp-tongued little she-rat. He moodily retorted. "Oh don't mistake this for worry, I just don't want to drag your sorry carcass back to camp."
It had been a while since he'd had an apprentice he couldn't bully into obedience. Blackwolf enjoyed touting his superiority as both a warrior and a NightClanner in general; however, attitude and snark were a refreshing change of pace. She took his mind off of his troubles, and he was grateful for it - even if she deserved a claw to the ear for being such a pain in his tail.
With a roll of his eyes at the irritable traits of apprentices these days, the jet black warrior took the lead, not about to be outdone by a cat who was barely out of the nursery.
They made quite a pair. She had a back-foot in the nursery, and he had both front paws in the elders' den.
Do the Math, No Equal
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Word Count: 179 Words
Tags: @zen
Notes: Finished! |
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